L csehi



L. CSEHI. STREET AND STAION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED Dials. 191s.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Wnden fuzf Tm; :Oumma ILANnuRAml co., WASHINGTDN, lx c.

L.l CSEHI. STREET'AND STTION INDICATOR.

V APPLICATION FILED 050.16. IQIB. I 1,316,691. Patented sept. 23, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Tm: COLUMBIA Furman/w11 Cn., WASHINGTON, n. C.

LASZLO CSEHI, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

STREET ANI) STATION INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedSept. 23, 1919.

Application led December 16, y1918. Serial No. 267,073.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAszLo Csm-I1, a subject of the King of Austria-Hungary, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street and Station Indicators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention aims to provide a street and station indicating device that may .be advantageously used in connection with al single street car or vehicle for indicating the streets and stations when the car or vehicle is approaching the saine, thus rendering it possibile for the occupants of the car or vehicleto observe the name of the Vnext street or station, be prepared to depart when a desired street or station is reached, and obviate the necessity of a conductor, brakeman or attendant of the car or vehicle announcing the streets or stations.

My invention further aims to provide a street and station indicating device that mayv be positioned in a conspicuous place in each car of the train and the devices connected so that all may be siinultaneousl actuated from a vcommon station.

My invention still further aims to provide a device for indicating streets or stations which has an apron for displaying street or station naines, advertising matter or any notices, the devi-ce being equipped with an audible signal, as a bell, which will be automatically actuated when the apron is shifted to display matter thereon.

My invention still further aims to provide an indicating "device wherein the .parts are constructed with a view of reducing the cost of manufacture and at the same time retain those features by which durability, ease of installation, simplicity of construction and quick resetting of the device are secured. Vith such ends in view, ymy invention resides in the novel construction to be hereinafter specifically, described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawings, wheren Y Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view ofthe street and station indicating device;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of .a portion of the main roll of the device;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a portion of the ratchet mechanism forming part of the device;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device; y ,n

IFig. 6 is a perspective view, kon a small sca'e, of the vrolls and aprons of the device, an

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing a plurality of devices connected for operation in synchronism,

The device comprises a base 1 having an upstanding lflange 2 and a shoulder 3 for the lower edges of front and rear walls 4 and 5 and side walls 6 and 7 these walls being held relative to 'the-ibase 1 by screws 8 or other fastening ineans engaging in the fiange 2 of theV [base 1. The front and rear walls 4 and 5 are provided with Windows 9 or suitable display openings closed by trans-parent plates, and hinged to the upper rear wall 5, as at 10, is av lid 11 that may be secured in a closed position by screws 12 at the front Wall 4 of the device. 'The base 1, lid 11 and walls 4, 5 and 7 coperate in providing a n rectangular casing that may be supported in any suitable manner intermediate the ends of a car or similar vehicle or located simply at one end of the car, but in practice it is preferable to locate thesame centrally of thc car so 'that the windows 9 of the walls 4 and '5 Imay be observed by occupants atboth ends of the car.

On the lbase 1 against the side wall 6, is a bearing 13 andjournaled in lsaid'fbearing is a .shaft or arbor 14 having the outer end thereof provided with a suitable knob or'handle l'by which the shaft 14 may be rotated. In order that the casing may be removed from the base 1,'the side wall 6 is slotted, as at 16 to provide clearance for the knob or handle V15 `and thus obvi'ate the necessity of removing the shaft or knob when it is desired to remove the casing from the base 1.

`Mounted on `the shaft 14, at the bearing 13, is a ratchet wheel 17 normally engaged by a spring pressed or actuated pawl 18 supported by an arm 19, carried by the bearing 13, said pawl and ratchet wheel preventing rotation ofthe shaft 14 in one direction.

Loose on the inner end of the shaft 14 is a hollow or tubulairoll 20 containing a coiled retractile spring 21 which encircles the shaft 14 and has one end thereof connected to the roll, as at 22, and the opposite end thereof connected to the shaft 14,

vided therefor in the end of the drum. Vith the casing removed from the base 1, it is impossible to slide the apron drum 23 off of the inner end of the roll when it is desired to replace the drum With another drum containing a different apron from that to be noiv described.

Att-ached to and Wound on the drum 23 are aprons 25 and 23 and these aprons are adapted to simultaneously Wind on and unwind from the drum 23, so that street names or otheil matter printed, marked or otherwise carried by the aprons may be displayed at the Windows of the casing. The aprons 25 and 26 extend upwardly in front of rollers 27 and 28 respectively, adjacent the front the rear Walls of the casing, said rollers having the spindles 29 thereof detachably held in U-shaped bearings 30 carried by the inner sides of the Walls 6 and 7.

The rollers 27 and 2S are in vertical plan-es so that the aprons 25 and 26 may travel past the Windows 9 in the Walls-4 and 5, said aprons being connected together, as at 31, and the apron 25 suitably connected to a take-up drum 32 so that both of. said aprons may be Wound on the take-up drum 32. The take-up drum 32 is detachably mounted on a sleeve 33 loose on a ratchet shaft or arbor 34. One end of the shaft has a head 35 interlocked with the end of the sleeve 33 so that said sleeve may rotate said shaft 34 and yet permit of the shaft being shifted in the sleeve to release said sleeve relative to said shaft. This is accomplished by pullingr outwardly on the head 35, the opposite end of the shaft being rectangular and sliding in a hub 36 journaled in a bearing 37 of the side Wall 6; the side Wall 7 having a bearing 38 supporting` the sleeve 33 and the shaft 34 therein. The hub 36 has a ratchet Wheel 39 and at the sides of said ratchet Wheel are the arms 40 of an operating lever 41, said arms being loose on the hub 36 and retained thereon by a nut 42 on the outer end of the hub 36. Between the arms 40 of the operating lever 41 is a pivoted spring engaged paWl 43 normally engaging the ratchet Wheel 39, and also engaging said ratchet Wheel is another spring engaged pivoted paWl 44 carried by the side Wall 6 of the casing. The paWl 44 prevents rotation of the shaft 34 in Aone direction and the operating lever 41 and 45 having one end thereof attached to the side wall G and the opposite end thereof attached to the hub, the retractile force of said spring maintaining the operating lelver 41 normally in engagement with a stop pin 4G carried by the Wall 6. Attached to the operating lever 41 is a cable or flexible member 47 that may be pulled upon to shift the operating lever 41 int-o engagement with another stop pin 48, carried by the Wall (i, thereby causing the operating lever 41, through the medium of its ratchet mechanism, te impart an intermittent movement to the shaft 34 and the take-up drum 42 carried thereby.

lllhen the operating lever 41 is shifted to operate the device, said lever impinges against a member 49 of an audible signal 50 preferably on the lid 11 and preferably in form of a bell which is actuated by the member The member 49 is simply pressed by the operating lever 41 and after each actuation the coil retractil@ spring 45 restores the ope ating lever to normal position With the pawl 43 receding over the teeth of the ratchet Wheel 39 and the pawl 44- holding the ratchet Wheel against counterclockwise rotation.

fis shown in Fig. 6, the aprons 25 and 26 are provided With similar street or station names so that similar names will be simultaneously displayed at the Windows 9 of the indicator easing. In this View it is also to be noted that each apron contains two sets of street or station names, reversely arranged, so that after a car or vehicle travels in one direction and uses a portion of the apron, the remaining portion of the apron may be used for the return trip Without any changes in the mechanism.

By removing the shaft 34 and the rollers 27 and 23, the take-up drum 42 may be lowered toward the main drum 23 and by removing the easing, both of said drums may be removed and other drums substituted therefor containing different street and station names as is necessary When shifting a street ear from one route to another.

As indicated in Fig. 7 a plurality of the indicating devices may be actuated by a single cable or flexible member operatable from a suitable station, thus permitting of the indicating devices being used on a train of cars and operated by a brakeman to simultaneously display the names of the stations in each car of the train.

lVhen placing the indicating device in operation the handle 15 is manipulated to place the spring 21 under tension, so that the retractile force of this spring may at all times maintain the aprons 25 and 26 taut adjacent the Windows 9 of the indicator easing. During the operation of the device the spring 21 is intermittently placed under additional tension and by releasing the sleeve 33 relative to the shaft 4, the aprons 25 and 26 may be automatically rewound upon the drum 23.

It is thought that the operation and utility of the street and station indicator will be apparent Without further description and while in the drawing there are illustrated the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such changes, in size, sha e and manner of assemblage as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Vhat I claim is A street and station indicating device7 comprising a casing having windows, a removable shaft journaled in Said casing, a sleeve on said shaft, a drum on said sleeve and providing a take-up roll located in the upper portion of said casing between said windows, a spring roll in the lower portion of said casing, a detachable drum forming part of said spring roll, a set of rollers adjacent each casing window, aprons normally wound on each other on the drum of said spring roll and trained over said sets of rolls, one of said aprons being attached to the drum of said take-up roll and the other apron attached to the first mentioned apron so that both of said aprons may be wound, one on the other on said take-up roll, and a ratchet mechanism adapted for intermittently operating said take-up roll.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LASZLO CSEHI.

Witnesses:

KARL H. Burman, ANNA M. DORR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five celnts'each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

